Scottish Executive

Cancer

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with reference to page 4, paragraph 8, of the report from the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland, Evidence & Equity, published in April 1999, infertility due to cancer treatment would be an appropriate diagnosed cause.

Malcolm Chisholm: Evidence and Equity , the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland (EAGISS), states that NHS funded assisted conception should be available to couples who meet all of the relevant eligibility criteria, including:

  "Couples with infertility of a diagnosed cause (of any duration) for which assisted conception represents effective treatment" (p17).

  Infertility as a result of cancer treatment would generally be considered as an appropriate diagnosed cause. However it would be for the lead consultant in each individual case to decide whether treatment would be appropriate.

Central Heating Programme

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating systems have been installed under its central heating programme and what its estimate is of the number of systems still to be installed under the current eligibility criteria.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  As at December 2003, 28,672 central heating systems had been installed. Under the current eligibility criteria, it is estimated that approximately 41,300 homes will be eligible to have free central heating systems installed by the completion of the Programme.

Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory obligations local authorities have in respect of licensing window cleaners and what discretion they have in exercising such obligations.

Tavish Scott: Under section 43 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 local authorities have an optional power to require anyone carrying on the trade of, or being employed as, a window cleaner in their area to obtain a licence. If opting to license window cleaners, the 1982 Act empowers local authorities to attach such reasonable conditions as they fit to any such licences.

Civil Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior civil service heads of division have changed post in each year since May 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of senior civil service heads of division who have changed post each year since May 1999 is:

  


Year

Count


 May 1999 – March 2000
 6


 April 2000 – March 2001
 17


 April 2001 – March 2002
 10


 April 2002 – March 2003
 12

Civil Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29857 by Mr Andy Kerr on 8 October 2002, how many senior civil servants were required between January 2002 and June 2003.

Mr Andy Kerr: Between January 2002 and June 2003, 25 senior civil servants were required to cover supply and demand arising from retirals, leavers, promotions and the creation of new senior civil service posts.

Civil Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior civil servants it recruited in 2002-03.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of Senior Civil Servants recruited through open competition to the Scottish Executive from 1 April 2002 – 31 March 2003 was 8.

Civil Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of candidates for senior civil service posts have been (a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled, since information began to be held centrally in April 2002.

Mr Andy Kerr: Since 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, the percentage of candidates for Senior Civil Service posts have been:

  


(a)

women

29%


 (b)
 ethnic minorities
 4%


 (c)
 disabled
 1%

Civil Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful candidates for posts in the Executive have been appointed from (a) within the former Scottish Office, (b) within the Executive, (c) elsewhere within the civil service, (d) public sector employment other than the civil service, (e) the private sector and (f) being unemployed.

Mr Andy Kerr: Since 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, the number of successful candidates for posts in the Senior Civil Service in the Executive were appointed from:

  

 (a) within 
  the former Scottish Office
 0


 (b) within 
  the Executive
 2


 (c) elsewhere 
  within the civil service
 0


 (d) public 
  sector employment other than the civil service
 3


 (e) private 
  sector
 2


 (f) unemployed
 1



  Below SCS level this information is not held centrally. The Scottish Executive does however fully comply with the requirements of the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Code which is founded on the principle of fair and open competition for externally advertised posts.

Civil Service

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many retirements from the civil service were due to ill-health and how many retirements there were in total from the civil service in each year since 1996.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested can be found in the following table:

  Scottish Executive Core Departments - Retirements by reason 1996-2003

  

 
 Year
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Retirement 
  Reason
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Age 
  Retirement
 48
 56
 41
 44
 29
 29
 30
 42


 Early 
  Retirement - Ill Health
 32
 25
 30
 13
 13
 7
 4
 11


 Early 
  Retirement - Other
 176
 26
 12
 16
 13
 56
 11
 7


 Total
 256
 107
 83
 73
 55
 92
 45
 60

Civil Service

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of sick days taken per annum is for civil servants.

Mr Andy Kerr: The member is referred to the Cabinet Office report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 2002", published 1 December 2003.

  This report is available at URL:

  www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/civilservice/publications/sickness/sickabs02.pdf

Community Wardens

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its neighbourhood warden scheme, due to commence in April 2004, remains on track.

Ms Margaret Curran: Our commitment to extend neighbourhood warden schemes across Scotland remains on track. I will be making an announcement on this very soon.

Concessionary Travel

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its directive for a national minimum standard for its national concessionary travel scheme for blind people includes concessions for companions travelling with the person who is blind and, if not, whether it intends to include such a concession.

Nicol Stephen: The national free concessionary travel scheme for blind people was introduced in December 1999 and offers card holders free travel at any time on trains, buses, ferries and the Glasgow Underground. The scheme provides considerable benefits to card holders. The scheme is a voluntary partnership agreement between the Scottish Executive, local authorities and rail, bus and ferry companies. It does not extend to companions of blind card holders; however local authorities have discretion to offer this additional benefit if they choose.

Dentistry

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how long dentists who have been recipients of a "golden hello" are required to remain practising in the NHS.

Mr Tom McCabe: It is a condition of receiving a "golden hello" payment on joining a dental list within 3 months of completion of training that the dentist undertakes to provide NHS general dental services during each of the 3 years following receipt of the first payment.

Dentistry

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider increasing state subsidies to dental practices in areas where there is no NHS dental service provision.

Mr Tom McCabe: Scottish Dental Access Initiative grants are available to those dentists willing to set up or expand NHS dental practices in areas of unmet demand or high oral health need. Grants under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative will double with effect from 1 April 2004 to £100,000 for establishing a new practice and £50,000 for extending an existing practice. Several other Scottish allowances will also double with effect from 1 April 2004.

Domestic Abuse

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that the Victim Information and Advice service is aware of the particular needs of women survivors of domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault.

Elish Angiolini QC: Victim Information and Advice (VIA) work in partnership with the police and other criminal justice agencies. VIA also work closely with support organisations such as the Witness Service, Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid, who provide services to survivors of domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault at a local level throughout Scotland.

Domestic Abuse

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the establishment of domestic abuse courts.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Sheriff Principal in Glasgow is working with the Scottish Executive, COPFS, Courts Service, police and other agencies to develop a pilot domestic abuse court in Glasgow. It is intended that this court will commence operation in June.

Drug Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was allocated for addressing drug misuse through (a) grant aided expenditure, (b) the Changing Children’s Services Fund, (c) social inclusion partnerships and (d) criminal justice interventions, in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) NHS board and, where appropriate, (ii) local authority area, expressed also on a per capita basis and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Hugh Henry: Resources allocated to local authorities as part of their Grant Aided Expenditure for 2001-02 to 2003-04 are shown in Table 1. The total was £6.8 million per annum and did not vary over the period. The mean per capita allocation was £1.33 (the variation was between £1.32 and £1.34).

  Funding from the Changing Children’s Services Fund to support drug related work with young people and families was allocated to local authorities in accordance with a formula which took into account deprivation, rurality and numbers of looked after children. Allocations were made on a three year basis but have been split by year in table 2. Per capita allocations would not be meaningful given that this funding is designed for services for a specific target group.

  Details of the allocation of tackling drug misuse funding for social inclusion partnerships for the last three years, broken down by local authority and NHS board are shown in table 3. As there can be a number of SIPs within a local authority area, details of per capita allocations are not meaningful.

  Table 4 shows funding allocated to groupings of local authorities for the purposes of criminal justice social work. The funding includes allocations for drug courts, Drug Treatment and Testing Orders and addiction services including alcohol provision. Per capita allocations and percentage increases on a local authority basis are therefore not held centrally.

  Table 1 – Resources for Drug Rehabilitation 2001-02 – 2003-04

  

 
 Drug 
  Rehabilitation
(annual allocation)


 
 £000


 Aberdeen 
  City
 282


 Aberdeenshire
 302


 Angus
 146


 Argyll 
  and Bute
 119


 Clackmannanshire
 65


 Dumfries 
  and Galloway
 195


 Dundee 
  City
 192


 East 
  Ayrshire
 161


 East 
  Dunbartonshire
 147


 East 
  Lothian
 120


 East 
  Renfrewshire
 119


 Edinburgh, 
  City of
 600


 Eilean 
  Siar
 37


 Falkirk
 192


 Fife
 464


 Glasgow 
  City
 812


 Highland
 277


 Inverclyde
 113


 Midlothian
 108


 Moray
 113


 North 
  Ayrshire
 185


 North 
  Lanarkshire
 436


 Orkney
 26


 Perth 
  and Kinross
 178


 Renfrewshire
 235


 Scottish 
  Borders
 141


 Shetland
 30


 South 
  Ayrshire
 152


 South 
  Lanarkshire
 408


 Stirling
 113


 West 
  Dunbartonshire
 126


 West 
  Lothian
 205


 Scotland
 6,800



  Table 2 Changing Children’s Services funding allocations 2001-2 – 2003-4

  

 Changing 
  Children's Services Fund - Drugs Strand


 Local 
  Authority
 2001
 2002
 %increase
 2003
 %increase


 Aberdeen City
 111,000
 168,000
 51.4
 225,000
 33.9


 Aberdeenshire
 122,310
 184,168
 50.6
 246,215
 33.7


 Angus
 61,000
 110,960
 81.9
 130,039
 17.2


 Argyll and Bute
 57,000
 86,000
 50.9
 115,000
 33.7


 Clackmannanshire
 29,584
 76,064
 157.1
 85,351
 12.2


 Dumfries and Galloway
 91,420
 177,894
 94.6
 188,686
 6.1


 Dundee City
 162,000
 245,000
 51.2
 328,000
 33.9


 East Ayrshire
 113,000
 170,000
 50.4
 228,000
 34.1


 East Dunbartonshire
 35,000
 52,000
 48.6
 70,000
 34.6


 East Lothian
 66,500
 79,000
 18.8
 79,000
 0.00


 East Renfrewshire
 30,988
 46,000
 48.4
 60,944
 32.5


 Edinburgh, City of
 268,000
 406,000
 51.5
 539,745
 32.9


 Eilean Siar
 30,000
 30,000
 0.00
 30,000
 0.00


 Falkirk
 60,000
 175,000
 191.7
 175,000
 0.00


 Fife
 223,400
 338,000
 51.3
 452,000
 33.7


 Glasgow City
 861,000
 1,301,000
 51.1
 1,742,000
 33.9


 Highland
 149,166
 231,000
 54.9
 282,189
 22.2


 Inverclyde
 83,000
 119,653
 44.2
 163,000
 36.2


 Midlothian
 44,500
 73,000
 64.0
 98,000
 34.3


 Moray
 43,351
 71,000
 63.8
 95,000
 33.8


 North Ayrshire
 140,000
 211,000
 50.7
 212,000
 0.5


 North Lanarkshire
 162,000
 442,000
 172.8
 592,000
 33.9


 Orkney Islands
 21,000
 34,500
 64.3
 34,500
 0.0


 Perth and Kinross
 76,000
 114,000
 50.0
 153,000
 34.2


 Renfrewshire
 152,000
 229,000
 50.7
 229,000
 0.0


 Scottish Borders
 61,000
 90,968
 49.1
 121,537
 33.6


 Shetland Islands
 30,000
 30,000
 0.00
 30,000
 0.0


 South Ayrshire
 64,000
 97,000
 51.6
 130,000
 34.0


 South Lanarkshire
 196,000
 296,000
 51.0
 316,000
 6.8


 Stirling
 52,000
 78,000
 50.0
 104,000
 33.3


 West Dunbartonshire
 113,000
 170,000
 50.4
 228,000
 34.1


 West Lothian
 89,000
 181,628
 104.1
 190,950
 5.1


 Total
 3,798,219
 6,113,835
 61.0
 7,674,156
 25.5



  Table 3 – Tackling Drug Misuse Funding through Social Inclusion Partnerships 2001-2004

  

 Local Authority
 2001-02
 2002-03
 % 
  Increase
 2003-04
 % 
  Increase


 Aberdeen City
 30,000
 32,343
 7.8
 48,514
 50.0


 Argyll and Bute
 30,000
 29,841
 -0.5
 44,761
 50.0


 Clackmannanshire
 30,000
 33,115
 10.4
 49,673
 50.0


 Dundee
 35,000
 104,082
 197.4
 156,123
 50.0


 East Ayrshire
 60,000
 68,017
 13.4
 102,025
 50.0


 East Renfrewshire
 0
 29,273
 n/a
 43,910
 50.0


 Edinburgh
 95,000
 214,874
 126.18
 322,311
 50.0


 Falkirk
 0
 33,356
 n/a
 50,035
 50.0


 Fife
 0
 82,093
 n/a
 123,140
 50.0


 Glasgow 
 473,000
 678,246
 43.4
 1,017,367
 50.0


 Inverclyde
 50,000
 73,684
 47.4
 110,527
 50.0


 North Ayrshire
 0
 62,384
 n/a
 93,576
 50.0


 North Lanarkshire
 35,000
 127,010
 262.9
 190,515
 50.0


 Renfrewshire
 60,000
 68,877
 14.8
 103,316
 50.0


 South Ayrshire
 60,000
 70,918
 18.2
 106,377
 50.0


 South Lanarkshire
 50,000
 101,929
 103.9
 152,895
 50.0


 Stirling
 0
 33,936
 n/a
 50,903
 50.0


 West Dunbartonshire
 60,000
 60,723
 1.2
 91,085
 50.0


 Total
 1,068,000
 1,904,701
 78.3
 2,857,053
 50.0


 
 
 
 
 
 


 NHS Board
 2001-02
 2002-03
 
 2003-04
 50.0


 Grampian
 30,000
 32,343
 7.8
 48,514
 50.0


 Argyll and Clyde
 140,000
 201,675
 44.1
 302,514
 50.0


 Forth Valley
 30,000
 100,407
 234.7
 150,611
 50.0


 Tayside
 35,000
 104,082
 197.4
 156,123
 50.0


 Ayrshire and Arran
 120,000
 201,319
 67.8
 301,978
 50.0


 Lothian
 95,000
 214,874
 126.2
 322,311
 50.0


 Fife
 0
 82,093
 n/a
 123,140
 50.0


 Greater Glasgow 
 533,000
 776,623
 45.8
 1,164,934
 50.0


 Lanarkshire
 85,000
 191,285
 125.0
 286,928
 50.0


 Total
 1,068,000
 1,904,701
 78.3
 2,857,053
 50.0



  Table 4 – Funding allocated to groupings of local authorities for the purposes of criminal justice social work 2001-02 – 2003-04

  


Grouping/Single 
  Authority

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04


 

£

£

£



Argyll and Bute 
  - Dumbarton Group

15,662

16,132

16,616



Ayrshire Partnership

52,788

54,370

486,001



Dumfries and Galloway

0

0

0



Fife

488,424

1,013,326

1,170,844



Forth Valley

141,006

253,601

261,209



Glasgow

931,313

1,811,222

1,936,355



Lanarkshire Grouping

84,459

86,993

519,603



Lothian Partnership

141,811

607,817

624,625



Northern Partnership

425,519

682,679

703,160



Renfrew and Inverclyde 
  Grouping

180,532

593,373

646,877



Tay Partnership

37,502

261,574

536,702



Orkney

0

0

0



Shetland

0

0

0



Western Isles

0

0

0



Scotland Total

2,499,016

5,381,087

6,901,992

Economy

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national product (GNP) have been in each year since 1900 compared with the UK figures, expressing Scottish GDP and GNP as a percentage of the UK equivalent and outlining the methodology used to compile these figures.

Mr Jim Wallace: Gross Value Added estimates (the replacement for GDP) for 1995 to 2001, for both Scotland and the UK were published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 14 August 2003, and are available through the following link;

  http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/Regional_GVA.pdf

  The article also provides an analysis of Scotland as a percentage of the UK, and a description of the methodology used.

  Scottish GDP for the period 1971 to 1988 is publicly available on request from ONS enquiries. To obtain the data prior to this period would incur disproportionate costs.

  Gross National Income (the replacement for GNP) is not currently available for Scotland.

Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a full evaluation of the Higher Still reforms.

Peter Peacock: An Evaluation of the Higher Still Reforms – a study of stakeholder perceptions of the impact of the Higher Still reform programme – was published in the Scottish Executive’s Insight series of research documents on 10 December 2003.

  The full supporting research report is available electronically from the Scottish Executive’s Research and Economic Unit. Copies of the publication are also available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number. 30219).

Education

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether each school class having exclusive access to four modern computers is still one of its targets and, if so, what percentage of classes now have such exclusive access.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has never set a target of each school class having exclusive access to four modern computers. Information is collected in the School Census each year that allows the calculation of pupil:modern computer ratios in schools. The latest information, from the 2002 School Census (available online at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00272-00.asp ) shows pupil:modern computer ratios of 3:1 in special schools, 5:1 in secondary schools and 9:1 in primary schools. Decisions about the actual deployment of the computers are taken locally in the light of teaching practice and accommodation requirements.

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the final evaluation of the New Futures Fund will be published.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise will both be publishing their final evaluations of phase 2 of the New Futures Fund in February 2005.

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether interim funding can be provided to projects such as "In Touch" in Galashiels whose funding will end prior to the conclusion of the New Futures Fund.

Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise are currently funding a range of projects in phase 2 of NFF. The contracts for a small number of projects, including "In Touch", are due to end in March 2004. We are considering, with the Enterprise Networks, the scope for additional, or alternative sources of funding in order to bring these in line with the rest of the programme.

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support projects such as "In Touch" in Galashiels after their New Futures funding ends.

Lewis Macdonald: The objective is to mainstream NFF after phase 2 in order that the type of activity and approach developed by projects, including "In Touch", are more widely available. Mainstreaming is a top priority for the Enterprise Networks. Scottish Enterprise has identified two ways in which mainstreaming might be achieved:

  When existing services provided by New Futures projects continue to be provided directly by mainstream statutory agencies (either through being brought in house or through the statutory agency contracting with voluntary sector agencies to provide the services: and/ or

  When mainstream statutory, voluntary or private sector agencies adapt their existing service provision to respond more adequately to and meet the identified needs of New Futures clients.

Enterprise

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to encourage the growth of indigenous businesses in the small and medium-sized enterprise sector.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive, and its economic development agencies – Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) - have a range of support in place to assist the growth of indigenous businesses these include measures to help businesses to innovate, invest in capital equipment, export, access equity capital, improve energy efficiency and utilise broadband technology.

  Full details on all the forms of support available to businesses can be accessed through Business Gateway, in the Scottish Enterprise area, and by contacting directly the Local Enterprise Companies in the HIE area, who act as a single access point for business support.

  Details of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise performance and finances are available from their operating plans and annual accounts which can be obtained from their respective website.

Environment

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what conclusions have been reached by its fly-tipping forum.

Allan Wilson: Although the Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Fly-tipping Forum to support its work, it is independent of the Scottish Executive. It is for the Forum, which is chaired by Keep Scotland Beautiful, to decide when and in what form to make its conclusions public.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the entitlement to the west of Scotland nephrops quota is held by non-active interests.

Allan Wilson: On 1 January 2004, five percent of the West of Scotland Nephrops quota was held on inactive vessel licences.

Foot-And-Mouth Disease

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in respect of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, whether all outstanding claims from farms and/or businesses have been settled and, if not, whether it will provide a breakdown of payments due by (a) it, (b) local authorities, (c) enterprise companies and (d) other public bodies.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has processed all claims in respect of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Four claims are still outstanding pending the claimants’ responses to offers made to them. Information on outstanding claims with local authorities, enterprise companies and other public bodies is not held centrally.

General Agreement on Trade in Services

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent assessment it has made of the impact on its responsibilities of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Mr Jim Wallace: The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with DTI and other government departments on a range of trade issues, including discussions of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

  The Scottish Executive is continuing to monitor the progress of the GATS negotiations, and maintains an ongoing assessment of any potential impact of GATS on its responsibilities. This will continue to inform discussions with DTI on (GATS) in order to ensure that Scottish interests are fully considered.

Genetically Modified Crops

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the precautionary principle would be applied in Scotland if authorised GM crops were to be grown commercially in England.

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to instigate a statutory coexistence and liability regime if authorised GM crops were to be grown commercially in England but not in Scotland.

Allan Wilson: The precautionary principle is integral to EU Directive 2001/18 which governs the deliberate release of GMOs. No GMO will receive consent under Directive 2001/18 if there is substantiated evidence that it would be harmful to human health, animal health or the environment.

  The Executive recognises, that the growing of GM crops could affect the economic interests of conventional and organic farming, and that measures will be required to ensure the sustainable co-existence of different forms of crop production in the event of a GM crop achieving all the relevant consents for cultivation. We are currently considering a report by the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission on these issues.

Genetically Modified Crops

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the implications of growing GM maize in Scotland.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has regular contact with Defra on a range of issues, including GM crops.

Graveyards

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out an investigation into the reasons for the number of headstones at graves in cemeteries around Ayrshire that have been deemed unsafe by local authorities in the last few months, resulting in relatives of deceased people having to pay charges of around £100 to local authorities to have the headstones made safe.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no plans to do so. Responsibility for the general management, regulation and control of burial grounds rests with local authorities under section 17 of the Burial Grounds (Scotland) Act 1855. Local authorities, as burial authorities, also have a responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to take reasonable precautions where there is a foreseeable risk to either persons at work or members of the public.

Health

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-4961 and S2W-4962 by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 January 2004, what statutory impediment prevents it forming, or participating in forming, companies for the provision of health services.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish ministers have no statutory power to form or participate in the forming of companies in connection with the discharge of their functions under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978. It follows from this that they cannot, in the absence of such a power, confer such a power on a health board set up under section 2 of the 1978 Act.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were diagnosed as having an eating disorder in each NHS board area in each of the last four years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The prevalence of eating disorders cannot be estimated at NHS board level from central statistical returns.

Health

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS consultants there are specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: The centrally available information on consultants identifies the specialty of the consultant and not any specific area of expertise.

  However, the majority of patients with eating disorders receive their treatment in the specialties of general medicine, general psychiatry and paediatric medicine. Information on the number of consultants within these specialties as can be found in tables B8 to B13 at:

  www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for staff of the Chief Scientist Office and members of the (a) Chief Scientist Committee, (b) Biomedical and Therapeutic Research Committee and (c) Health Services Research Committee to provide details in a public register of their interests in line with practice for MSPs, their assistants and others.

Malcolm Chisholm: The staff of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) are bound by the Civil Service Management Code. This requires civil servants to declare to their department or agency any business interests or holdings of shares or other securities which they or members of their immediate family hold (to the extent to which they are aware of them), with which they may have to deal as a result of their official position. There are no plans to place this information in a public register.

  CSO’s committees are advisory in nature. Members of the Committees are given guidance on conflicts of interest when they are appointed. This is particularly detailed for members of the Biomedical and Therapeutic Committee and the Health Services Research Committee. Where a member has any potential conflict of interest in a research application to be considered by a Committee, the member concerned is excluded for that particular agenda item. There is no requirement for Committee members to provide details of their interests in a public register.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when regulations will be introduced stating the permissible maximum dosage levels for food supplements listed in the Food Supplements (Scotland) Regulations 2003 and what scientific sources have been used to arrive at these levels.

Mr Tom McCabe: I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive lays out a framework for the future setting of maximum permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The European Commission will, in due course, make a proposal for EU maximum permitted levels based on its interpretation of Article 5 of the Directive and scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The agency do not expect the Commission's proposal for another 2-3 years. Once the proposal has been agreed all Member States will be obliged to implement its provisions into national law within the time laid down in the legislation. EFSA is continuing the task begun by the former Scientific Committee on Food to set tolerable upper intake levels for vitamins and minerals based on scientific risk assessment using relevant scientific data.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4539 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 December 2003, why the gross ingredient cost of methylphenidate hydrochloride has increased by £305,986 between 2002 and 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: Methylphenidate hydrochloride is available in a number of proprietary forms: Ritalin®; Equasym®; Tranquilyn®; Concerta XL®.

  Concerta XL® is a modified release preparation which offers the advantage of once-daily dosing. This preparation, which became available in 2002, is significantly more expensive than the standard preparations. The Scottish Medicines Consortium has recommended Concerta XL® for restricted use within NHSScotland.

  The British National Formulary (www.BNF.org) gives basic net prices of drugs which will provide an indication of the relative cost of the different products.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5546 by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 January 2004, when the results of the research project funded by the Chief Scientist Office on complementary interventions for children with attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder will be made available.

Malcolm Chisholm: The report on complementary interventions for children with attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder has been received by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) and was considered by CSO’s Health Services Research Committee at its meeting on 28 January 2004. An executive summary of the report will be made available on CSO’s website at www.show.scot.nhs.uk/cso/ in the near future.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5641 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 January 2004, which NHS boards currently collect data on psychological and non-drug therapies and what measures are being put in place to ensure the collection of such data by NHS boards.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on what NHS boards gather locally on their own initiative is not held centrally.

  As I said in my answer to S2W-5135 work has started as part of the Improving Mental Health Information Programme on what will be a complex and lengthy process to collect enhanced information on psychological interventions. This will include: identifying clinical codes already available; facilitating discussion among psychological therapists on definitions of interventions and groupings; and building capacity in clinical systems to provide a means to capture the data.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dedicated diagnostic sleep beds there are and where they are located.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with reference to the report from the Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland, Evidence & Equity , published in April 1999, it will review the eligibility criteria for assisted contraception.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Programme for Clinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health (SPCERH), commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer, recently held a consensus conference to reconsider the eligibility criteria for access to NHS funded infertility treatment. The Executive are currently reviewing the feedback from the conference and are also reviewing the current level of service provision across the NHS boards. If after the completion of these reviews there was a recommendation to change the criteria then this would be subject to a full public consultation.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government with regard to ensuring that adequate measures are in place to prevent the H5N1 bird flu virus entering Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is in close touch with the UK Government and other key interests to ensure that contingency plans are in place to respond to any possible spread of H5N1 virus to Scotland or other parts of the UK.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23350 by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 March 2002, how many patients are currently on the waiting list for a first appointment at the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh; how, in relation to the answer, it defines "clinical priority", and what the average waiting time is for a first appointment for those defined as being (a) a "clinical priority" and (b) "routine".

Malcolm Chisholm: There are 655 patients awaiting a first appointment, and 25 patients (whose initial referral recommends it) awaiting a first appointment and sleep study.

  "Clinical priority" refers to patients such as those who may be at risk of falling asleep whilst undertaking activities such as driving, or operating machinery, and to patients with other relevant medical conditions, such as cardiac disease.

  There is no waiting list for "clinical priority" patients as they are given appointments immediately. Such patients may wait two to six weeks to be seen at appointment. "Routine" refers to all patients without priority.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23351 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 March 2002, what funding was provided by NHS Lothian for sleep disorder services in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02, (c) 2002-03 and (d) 2003-04 and what additional funding was provided to other NHS boards for referrals to the Sleep Centre in each year since 2001-02, broken down by board.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the funding provided by NHS boards in Scotland to the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh:

  

 NHS Boards
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04


 Argyll and Clyde
 3,348
 3,515
 3,620
 3,761


 Ayrshire and Arran
 3,104
 3,255
 3,353
 3,483


 Borders
 24,870
 40,561
 41,778
 43,400


 Dumfries and Galloway
 800
 1,111
 1,144
 1,189


 Fife
 57,000
 59,850
 61,646
 64,040


 Forth Valley
 47,293
 50,407
 51,919
 53,935


 Grampian
 58,164
 88,000
 90,640
 0*


 Glasgow
 8,000
 10,160
 10,465
 10,871


 Highland
 5,872
 6,166
 6,351
 6,598


 Lanarkshire
 10,126
 10,632
 10,951
 11,376


 Lothian
 172,420
 266,744
 274,746
 285,416


 Orkney
 344
 0
 0
 0


 Shetland
 225
 237
 244
 254


 Tayside
 62,000
 65,100
 67,053
 69, 657


 Western Isles
 459
 482
 496
 516


 Total
 454,025
 606,220
 624,406
 554,496



  Note: * Local provision since 2003-04.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23349 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 March 2002, how many patients currently receive continuous positive airway pressure therapy for sleep apnoea.

Malcolm Chisholm: As at 31 December 2003, there were 2,585 patients receiving Continuous Positive Airways Pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to introduce guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of all sleep disorders, in light of the finding of the report endorsed by the British Sleep Society, Dead Tired, that there are 84 sleep disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no plans to take any action directly related to this report. However, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), which is funded by the Executive through NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to produce good practice clinical guidelines, published a guideline on the management of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea/Hypopnoea Syndrome (OSAHS) in September 2003. OSAHS is the most common sleep disorder with a treatable medical cause, and the one which is believed to be a factor in a significant number of traffic accidents. Copies of SIGN guidelines are available through the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the (a) scale (b) effects and (c) cost of sleep disorders, in light of the recommendations of the report endorsed by the British Sleep Society, Dead Tired.

Malcolm Chisholm: No research has been commissioned by the Executive as a direct result of this report. The Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive Health Department is currently funding one Edinburgh University research project, "Screening for Sleep Apnoea/Hypoponoea Syndrome and driving impairment in professional drivers".

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the finding of the report endorsed by the British Sleep Society, Dead Tired, whether it considers that a total 20 minutes teaching per student on sleep disorders is satisfactory and, if not, what steps it will take to ensure that a greater amount of teaching time is given to such disorders.

Malcolm Chisholm: The responsibility for determining the educational requirements for all medical undergraduates rests with the General Medical Council (GMC).

  The GMC is the regulatory body which determines the content of the courses and decides the standard of expertise to maintained.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many private sleep units there are and how many patients are registered with them.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.

Information Technology

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations and guidance govern the promotion by Scottish Enterprise of individual broadband telecommunications service providers to businesses at a national and local level.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive’s Broadband Strategy for Scotland, implemented by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, is both supplier and technology neutral. These enterprise agencies operate within State aid and de minimis aid regulations in all broadband promotional activities.

Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the challenge, due to his religion, on Lord Hardie's ability to preside over a recent case in the High Court sitting in Kilmarnock.

Cathy Jamieson: It is for the judge in each case to decide the response to a request that jurisdiction should be declined. Ministers cannot intervene in matters which are for the courts to determine.

Midwifery

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average caseload is of midwives, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.

Midwifery

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to allow midwives to decide their own caseloads.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are currently no plans to allow midwives to decide their own caseloads. The models used by health boards in determining midwives caseloads will be examined as part of the programme of the newly formed National Maternity Services Workforce Planning Group.

NHS Funding

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding for general medical services for (a) cash-limited and (b) non-cash-limited expenditure was allocated to each NHS board in (i) the current year and (ii) each of the last three years, expressed also per capita, giving any projected or actual overspends and underspends in each case.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information is provided in the following tables:

  General Medical Services: Cash Limited: 2000-01

  

 2000-01


 NHS Health 
  Board
 2000-01 GMS 
  CL Allocation
 2000-01 GMS 
  CL Expenditure
 2000-01 Allocation 
  per Capita
 2000-01 Expenditure 
  per Capita


 Argyll and Clyde
 6,946
 6,973
 16.59
 16.65


 Ayrshire and Arran
 6,428
 6,645
 17.51
 18.10


 Borders
 1,682
 1,490
 15.66
 13.87


 Dumfries and Galloway
 2,895
 2,796
 19.65
 18.98


 Fife
 6,026
 5,879
 17.19
 16.77


 Forth Valley
 4,845
 4,813
 17.34
 17.23


 Grampian
 9,878
 9,881
 18.88
 18.88


 Greater Glasgow
 17,627
 18,374
 20.35
 21.22


 Highland
 4,584
 4,660
 22.02
 22.39


 Lanarkshire
 7,601
 8,626
 13.75
 15.60


 Lothian
 14,864
 14,371
 19.08
 18.45


 Orkney
 347
 379
 18.06
 19.73


 Shetland
 437
 613
 19.92
 27.94


 Tayside
 8,838
 8,969
 22.81
 23.15


 Western Isles
 1,093
 1,022
 41.72
 39.01


 Scotland
 94,091
 95,491
 18.61
 18.89



  General Medical Services: Cash Limited 2001-02

  

 2001-02


 NHS Health 
  Board
 2001-02 GMS 
  CL Allocation
 2001-02 GMS 
  CL Expenditure
 2001-02 Allocation 
  per Capita
 2001-02 Expenditure 
  per Capita


  
 £000’s
  
  


 Argyll and 
  Clyde
 7,164
 7,588
 17.11
 18.12


 Ayrshire and 
  Arran
 6,691
 8,104
 18.23
 22.08


 Borders
 1,732
 1,914
 16.13
 17.82


 Dumfries and 
  Galloway
 2,982
 2,564
 20.24
 17.41


 Fife
 6,237
 6,271
 17.79
 17.89


 Forth Valley
 5,050
 5,457
 18.08
 19.53


 Grampian
 10,174
 10,202
 19.44
 19.50


 Greater Glasgow
 18,286
 17,786
 21.11
 20.54


 Highland
 4,722
 4,977
 22.69
 23.91


 Lanarkshire
 7,999
 8,853
 14.47
 16.01


 Lothian
 15,310
 16,732
 19.65
 21.48


 Orkney
 357
 386
 18.58
 20.09


 Shetland
 450
 520
 20.51
 23.70


 Tayside
 9,103
 9,439
 23.50
 24.36


 Western Isles
 1,126
 1,064
 42.98
 40.61


 Scotland
 97,383
 101,857
 19.27
 20.15



  General Medical Services: Cash Limited 2002-03

  

 NHS Health Board
 2002-03 GMS 
  CL Allocation
 2002-03 GMS 
  CL Expenditure
 2002-03 Allocation 
  per Capita
 2002-03 Expenditure 
  per Capita


  
 £000’s
  
  


 Argyll and Clyde
 7,389
 8,912
 17.65
 21.28


 Ayrshire and Arran
 6,964
 7,595
 18.97
 20.69


 Borders
 1,784
 2,093
 16.61
 19.49


 Dumfries and Galloway
 3,071
 3,339
 20.85
 22.67


 Fife
 6,455
 5,912
 18.41
 16.86


 Forth Valley
 5,264
 5,190
 18.84
 18.58


 Grampian
 10,479
 10,445
 20.03
 19.96


 Greater Glasgow
 18,969
 19,912
 21.90
 22.99


 Highland
 4,864
 4,930
 23.37
 23.69


 Lanarkshire
 8,414
 8,651
 15.22
 15.65


 Lothian
 15,769
 16,391
 20.24
 21.04


 Orkney
 368
 514
 19.16
 26.76


 Shetland
 464
 218
 21.15
 9.94


 Tayside
 9,376
 9,559
 24.20
 24.67


 Western Isles
 1,160
 702
 44.27
 26.79


 Scotland
 100,790
 104,363
 19.94
 20.65



  General Medical Services: Cash Limited 2003-04

  

 2003-04


 NHS Health 
  Board
 2003-04 GMS 
  CL Allocation
 2003-04 GMS 
  CL Forecasted Expenditure
 2003-04 Allocation 
  per Capita
 2003-04 Expenditure 
  per Capita


  
 £000’s
  
  


 Argyll and 
  Clyde
 7,543
 8,814
 18.01
 21.05


 Ayrshire and 
  Arran
 7,103
 7,904
 19.35
 21.53


 Borders
 1,826
 1,994
 17.00
 18.57


 Dumfries and 
  Galloway
 3,131
 3,461
 21.25
 23.49


 Fife
 6,573
 6,103
 18.75
 17.41


 Forth Valley
 5,366
 6,228
 19.21
 22.29


 Grampian
 10,667
 10,357
 20.38
 19.79


 Greater Glasgow
 19,322
 21,466
 22.31
 24.79


 Highland
 4,969
 5,031
 23.87
 24.17


 Lanarkshire
 8,616
 9,898
 15.58
 17.90


 Lothian
 16,038
 14,552
 20.59
 18.68


 Orkney
 376
 425
 19.57
 22.12


 Shetland
 473
 195
 21.56
 8.89


 Tayside
 9,522
 10,099
 24.58
 26.07


 Western 
  Isles
 1,175
 304
 44.85
 11.60


 Scotland
 102,700
 106,831
 20.32
 21.13



  The expenditure figures above include both GMS CL funds and other monies vired by NHS boards for Unified Budgets.

  GMS Cash Ltd is a ringfenced allocation of funding and includes the following elements: Practice Staff – Pay; Practice Staff – Training; Certain Premises expenditure including cost rent, improvement grants and other grants; and Computing costs.

  General Medical Services: Non-Cash Limited 2000-01 to 2003-04

  

 NHS Health Board
 2000-01 GMS 
  NCL *Allocation/ Expenditure
£000’s
 2000-01 Spend 
  Per Capita (£)
 2001-02 GMS 
  NCL *Allocation/ Expenditure
£000’s
 2001-02 Spend 
  Per Capita (£)
 2002-03 GMS 
  NCL *Allocation/ Expenditure
£000’s
 2002-03 Spend 
  Per Capita (£)
 2003-04 GMS 
  NCL *Indicative
Allocation
£000’s
 2003-04 Spend 
  Per Capita (£)


 Argyll and Clyde
 23,447
 55.99
 25,063
 59.85
 27,297
 65.19
 28,479
 68.01


 Ayrshire and Arran
 19,774
 53.87
 20,196
 55.02
 20,357
 55.46
 23,073
 62.86


 Borders
 6,600
 61.45
 6,503
 60.55
 7,287
 67.85
 7,683
 71.54


 Dumfries and Galloway
 9,241
 62.73
 9,296
 63.11
 9,869
 66.99
 10,622
 72.11


 Fife
 18,258
 52.07
 18,762
 53.51
 18,285
 52.15
 20,095
 57.31


 Forth Valley
 16,017
 57.33
 15,271
 54.66
 16,003
 57.28
 15,755
 56.39


 Grampian
 29,022
 55.46
 29,167
 55.74
 28,913
 55.25
 33,319
 63.67


 Greater Glasgow
 51,172
 59.08
 50,361
 58.15
 53,515
 61.79
 58,396
 67.43


 Highland
 16,988
 81.62
 18,445
 88.62
 19,525
 93.81
 19,061
 91.58


 Lanarkshire
 27,126
 49.06
 28,731
 51.96
 29,276
 52.95
 32,941
 59.58


 Lothian
 41,297
 53.01
 42,585
 54.66
 43,576
 55.93
 47,433
 60.88


 Orkney
 2,199
 114.47
 2,315
 120.51
 2,426
 126.29
 2,078
 108.17


 Shetland
 1,974
 89.97
 2,064
 94.07
 726
 33.09
 1,939
 88.38


 Tayside
 23,323
 60.20
 23,954
 61.83
 25,875
 66.79
 25,243
 65.16


 Western Isles
 2,364
 90.23
 2,349
 89.66
 2,022
 77.18
 3,071
 117.21


 Scotland
 288,802
 57.13
 295,062
 58.37
 304,952
 60.33
 329,188
 65.12



  Note: *GMS Non-cash Limited is a demand led budget. As such, expenditure equates to demand for services and boards are allocated sufficient funds to meet the demand. Board allocations at the year end, therefore, equal the final expenditure figure.

  For both cash and non-cash limited, the per Capita figures are calculated using the latest available population figures from General Registers Office Scotland (dated 30 June 2002).

NHS Staff

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of doctors in NHS Argyll and Clyde has increased since (a) 1997 and (b) 1999 and, if so, by how much.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the number of consultants in NHS Argyll and Clyde and the difference between 2002, the latest available information, and the figures for 1997 and 1999.

  Number of Consultants in NHS Argyll & Clyde as at 30th September

  

  
 1997
 1999
 2002
 Difference 
  between 2002 and 1997
 Difference 
  between 2002 and 1999


 WTE
 174.3
 177.5
 200.0
 25.7
 22.5


 Headcount
 185
 191
 211
 26
 20



  Notes:

  1. Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) adjusts the headcount to take account of part time staff.

  2. WTE is calculated by dividing the contracted hours by the conditioned (normal) hours for the group of staff.

  Source: Medical and Dental Census

  ISD Scotland

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4809 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 January 2004, what the value is of each percentile.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the value of each percentile of the waiting times distributions.

  Only values up to the 99th percentile are given. The one percent of values that are longer than the 99th percentile cannot individually be relied upon as these will include a mixture of actual times and times that are a result of recording errors. Of those patients who have actually waited longer for inpatient or day case treatment than the value of the 99th percentile there will be some whose waiting times is affected by a period of unavailability by the patient for medical or social reasons.

  For in-patients and daycase, the data reported on includes all patients who are routinely admitted from the waiting list from home and therefore includes the total wait experienced by patients who are excepted from the national maximum waiting times guarantees because for example they have been unavailable for treatment for medical or social reasons.

  

 
 Waiting Time (days)


 Percentile
 First Out-patient 
  Appointments
 In-patients/Day 
  Cases


 1st
 0
 1


 2nd
 0
 1


 3rd
 0
 1


 4th
 0
 1


 5th
 1
 2


 6th
 3
 2


 7th
 4
 3


 8th
 6
 3


 9th
 7
 4


 10th
 7
 4


 11th
 8
 5


 12th
 9
 5


 13th
 10
 6


 14th
 12
 6


 15th
 13
 7


 16th
 13
 7


 17th
 14
 7


 18th
 15
 8


 19th
 16
 8


 20th
 17
 9


 21st
 18
 10


 22nd
 20
 11


 23rd
 20
 12


 24th
 21
 13


 25th
 22
 14


 26th
 23
 14


 27th
 25
 15


 28th
 26
 16


 29th
 27
 17


 30th
 28
 18


 31st
 29
 19


 32nd
 30
 20


 33rd
 32
 21


 34th
 33
 21


 35th
 34
 22


 36th
 35
 24


 37th
 36
 25


 38th
 38
 26


 39th
 39
 27


 40th
 41
 28


 41st
 42
 29


 42nd
 43
 30


 43rd
 44
 31


 44th
 46
 33


 45th
 47
 34


 46th
 49
 35


 47th
 50
 36


 48th
 51
 38


 49th
 53
 40


 50th
 54
 41


 51st
 56
 42


 52nd
 57
 44


 53rd
 59
 46


 54th
 61
 48


 55th
 63
 49


 56th
 64
 51


 57th
 66
 53


 58th
 68
 55


 59th
 70
 57


 60th
 72
 59


 61st
 74
 62


 62nd
 76
 64


 63rd
 78
 67


 64th
 81
 69


 65th
 83
 72


 66th
 85
 75


 67th
 88
 78


 68th
 90
 81


 69th
 92
 84


 70th
 95
 88


 71st
 98
 91


 72nd
 100
 96


 73rd
 104
 99


 74th
 107
 104


 75th
 111
 108


 76th
 114
 113


 77th
 118
 118


 78th
 122
 124


 79th
 126
 130


 80th
 131
 136


 81st
 135
 143


 82nd
 140
 150


 83rd
 145
 157


 84th
 151
 165


 85th
 157
 172


 86th
 164
 179


 87th
 173
 187


 88th
 181
 196


 89th
 190
 206


 90th
 201
 217


 91st
 214
 227


 92nd
 230
 238


 93rd
 247
 248


 94th
 271
 260


 95th
 295
 272


 96th
 323
 284


 97th
 362
 307


 98th
 405
 343


 99th
 489
 446



  Notes

  1. The 1st and 99th percentile values have changed from those give in PQ S2W-4809. The SMR00 and SMR01 files are dynamic files with records continually being added. Information relates to the quarter ending 30 September 2003 and should be considered provisional

  2. Inpatient /Day case data is sourced from the SMR01 dataset. Outpatient data is sourced from the SMR00 dataset, and covers referrals from a GMP/GDP to a consultant led outpatient clinic.

  All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4809 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 January 2004, what the (a) range of values and (b) greatest value is for each NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows for each NHS board the equivalent information to that given in the answer to S2W-4809.

  All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  For in-patients and daycase, the data reported on includes all patients who are routinely admitted from the waiting list from home and therefore includes the total wait experienced by patients who are excepted from the national maximum waiting times guarantees because for example they have been unavailable for treatment for medical or social reasons.

  

 
 First 
  Outpatient Appointments
 Inpatients/Day 
  Cases


 
 Minimum 
  Value (days)
 99th 
  Percentile Value (days)
 Minimum 
  Value (days)
 99th 
  Percentile Value (days)


 NHSScotland
 0
 489
 0
 446


 Argyll 
  and Clyde
 0
 469
 0
 432


 Ayrshire 
  and Arran
 0
 407
 0
 456


 Borders
 0
 504
 0
 542


 Dumfries 
  and Galloway
 0
 418
 0
 447


 Fife
 0
 451
 0
 523


 Forth 
  Valley
 0
 619
 0
 490


 Grampian
 0
 413
 0
 375


 Greater 
  Glasgow
 0
 529
 0
 445


 Highland
 0
 406
 0
 392


 Lanarkshire
 0
 500
 0
 409


 Lothian
 0
 469
 0
 506


 Orkney 
  Islands
 0
 208
 1
 316


 Shetland 
  Islands
 0
 315
 0
 280


 Tayside
 0
 427
 0
 422


 Western 
  Isles
 0
 269
 0
 340



  Notes:

  1. The Scottish 99th percentile values have changed from those given in parliamentary question S2W-4809, The SMR00 and SMR01 files are dynamic files with records continually being added. Information relates to the quarter ending 30 September 2003 and should be considered provisional.

  2. In-patient /Day case data is sourced from the SMR01 dataset. Out-patient data is sourced from the SMR00 dataset, and covers referrals from a GMP/GDP to a consultant led outpatient clinic.

NHS Waiting Times

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4805 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 January 2004, whether it will publish the data for each NHS board and whether it will publish the mean values for each board in each future release of waiting list statistics.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows for each NHS board the equivalent figures given in answer to S2W-4805. ISD Scotland have no plans to publish arithmetic mean values for each board for the reason given earlier in the answer to S2W-4812.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  For in-patients and daycase, the data reported on includes all patients who are routinely admitted from the waiting list from home and therefore includes the total wait experienced by patients who are excepted from the national maximum waiting times guarantees because for example they have been unavailable for treatment for medical or social reasons.

  

 
 First 
  Outpatient Appointments
 Inpatients/Day 
  Cases


 
 Median 
  Wait (days)
 Mean 
  Wait (days)
 Difference
 Median 
  Wait (days)
 Mean 
  Wait (days)
 Difference


 NHSScotland
 54
 86.9
 -32.9
 41
 80.4
 -39.4


 Argyll and Clyde
 52
 79.4
 -27.4
 32
 70.9
 -38.9


 Ayrshire and Arran
 50
 76.3
 -26.3
 48
 82.9
 -34.9


 Borders
 47
 74.5
 -27.5
 35
 70.1
 -35.1


 Dumfries and Galloway
 54
 74.3
 -20.3
 49
 85.4
 -36.4


 Fife
 66
 89.3
 -23.3
 45
 91.7
 -46.7


 Forth Valley
 64
 110.5
 -46.5
 49
 90.8
 -41.8


 Grampian
 55
 86.6
 -31.6
 35
 68.5
 -33.5


 Greater Glasgow
 55
 90.5
 -35.5
 34
 74.9
 -40.9


 Highland
 43
 75.2
 -32.2
 40
 75.5
 -35.5


 Lanarkshire
 62
 99.8
 -37.8
 50
 86.6
 -36.6


 Lothian
 49
 82.9
 -33.9
 42
 87.6
 -45.6


 Orkney Islands
 23
 37.5
 -14.5
 21
 44.5
 -23.5


 Shetland Islands
 46
 58.3
 -12.3
 36
 59.2
 -23.2


 Tayside
 52
 82.7
 -30.7
 43
 83.2
 -40.2


 Western Isles
 36
 47.8
 -11.8
 45
 72.9
 -27.9



  Notes:

  1. Information relates to the quarter ending 30 September 2002 and should be considered provisional

  2. In-patient /Day case data is sourced from the SMR01 dataset. Outpatient data is sourced from the SMR00 dataset, and covers referrals from a GMP/GDP to a consultant led outpatient clinic.

Osteoporosis

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that Fosamax, Didronel and Actonel will continue to be available under the NHS for all patients diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Malcolm Chisholm: Fosmax, Didronel and Actonel are available on NHS prescription. Their use depends on the clinical judgement of the doctor concerned.

  The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently undertaken a consultation on the first draft of a technology appraisal on the use of medicines for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and prevention of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women. The draft document does not constitute NICE’s formal guidance on this technology: the recommendations are preliminary and may change after consultation.

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is involved throughout the NICE appraisal process as a consultee and advises NHSScotland on the suitability of NICE Technology Appraisal Guidance in Scotland.

Planning

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are obliged to consult Scottish Water prior to granting planning permission for new developments and whether new developments can go ahead if Scottish Water objects to the water and sewerage arrangements.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Local authorities are obliged to consult Scottish Water where a development is likely to require a material addition or a material change in the services provided by Scottish Water. Should Scottish Water object to a proposed development then their objection would be considered alongside any other material considerations. Planning permission may be granted in these circumstances. However, other consents may be required.

Planning

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which section 36 applications under the Electricity Act 1989, which were not objected to by the relevant local authority, have subsequently been approved by Scottish ministers or have been referred by ministers to public inquiry since 1989.

Lewis Macdonald: The following projects, all of which were not objected to by the relevant local authority, were consented by ministers without a public local inquiry:

  Flue gas desulphurisation at Longannet; Peterhead power station - repowering project; extension to Lerwick power station; Peterhead power station - gas reception facility; additional boiler at BP Grangemouth; Cuileig hydro; Cairn Uish wind farm; Paul’s Hill wind farm; Garogie hydro; Braevallich hydro; Kingairloch hydro; Robin Rigg wind farm; Westfield gas fired power station; and Hadyard Hill wind farm.

  There was no objection from the relevant planning authority within the time limits set by regulation in any of these cases.

  Objections were submitted to ministers concerning the Robin Rigg wind farm by Dumfries and Dumfries and Galloway Council but it was not the relevant planning authority as defined in section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. An objection to the Westfield application was made to ministers.

  No applications for consent were referred to a public inquiry, in cases where there was no objection from the relevant planning authority within the time set by regulation.

Planning

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with regard to the extension of planning controls to marine fish farming, operators of existing fish farming businesses will be eligible to apply for, and obtain, certificates of lawful use in relation to uses that they can demonstrate have been in existence for 10 years.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Transitional arrangements for existing marine fish farms will be addressed in our forthcoming consultation paper on extension of planning controls. There are a number of complex issues to be dealt with before we can introduce the necessary changes to the planning system. My officials have had very constructive discussions in this regard with key stakeholders, including industry representatives.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for increasing the representation of female officers above the rank of constable in police forces and how such targets are monitored.

Cathy Jamieson: The appointment of officers in Scottish Police Forces is the responsibility of chief constables or, at the most senior levels, the police authority. Further advancement is determined on merit under internal procedures which take account of qualifications and experience. However, as an equal opportunities employer, the Scottish Police Service is committed to the principles of equality and diversity in relation to employment. Under the Scottish Police Service People Strategy, each force will be taking forward the Gender Equality Action Plan prepared by the Women’s Development Forum, which was formed last year by the Scottish police forces and common services to raise the profile of women in the police service.

Prison Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what records are kept of visitors to prisons; how the keeping of such records varies between prisons, and whether any of these records are forwarded to any other organisation.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Records of visitors held are subject to the terms of the Data Protection Act (1998). For operational and security reasons, the data maintained on visitors is:

  Name

  Address

  Relationship to Prisoner

  Records have historically been kept in manual format but the use of electronic storage is increasing. As the information held is subject to extant Data Protection legislation, its use is strictly controlled.

Prostitutes

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the work of the expert group on prostitution is being progressed and how it will ensure that the full range of views on this issue will be considered.

Hugh Henry: The Expert Group on Prostitution, under the chairmanship of Sandra Hood OBE, has had five meetings so far and its work is still in the early stages. The Group has visited Dundee and Edinburgh to gather information about prostitution in those cities. Speakers were invited from local authorities, police, and local groups to give evidence. Similar visits are planned to Glasgow and Aberdeen. The group has also visited HM Prison Cornton Vale. The group has also considered a large amount of written information about the issues raised by prostitution in Scotland and in other jurisdictions.

Public Bodies

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of relocating the Accountant in Bankruptcy's office to Ayrshire in 2005, including any estimated redundancy costs.

Hugh Henry: The cost of relocating the agency to Ayrshire will depend on the exact site chosen and whether it is to be a new or adapted building. The agency has commissioned work to identify options. Since the agency’s staff are employed by the Scottish Executive and are able to apply for posts elsewhere in the Executive, the agency does not anticipate any redundancies.

Public Transport

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent under the Public Transport Fund in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area; how much of the fund is unspent in each such area, broken down by project, and whether there are any deadlines or requirements for allocations under the fund to be spent.

Nicol Stephen: The following table shows the awards given under the Public Transport Fund to each local authority in each of the last four years. These took the form of additional capital allocations under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. As stated in answer to S1W-31313, details of actual spend on individual projects could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  

 Local Authority
 
 1999-2000 
  £m
 2000-2001 
  £m
 2001-2002 
  £m
 2002-2003 
  £m


 Aberdeen City
 1.00
 2.80
 2.50
 1.88


 Aberdeenshire
 0.30
 0.96
 0.85
 0.00


 Angus
 0.00
 0.00
 0.00
 0.37


 Argyll and Bute
 0.00
 3.00
 1.75
 3.00


 Clackmannan
 0.30
 0.00
 2.78
 3.72


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0.40
 0.32
 2.01
 2.10


 Dundee City
 0.48
 0.25
 0.84
 2.17


 East Ayrshire
 0.00
 0.59
 0.42
 1.16


 East Dunbartonshire
 0.00
 0.00
 0.15
 0.10


 East Lothian
 0.08
 0.37
 0.44
 0.39


 East Renfrewshire
 0.00
 0.47
 0.45
 0.26


 Edinburgh City
 0.50
 3.80
 7.98
 3.88


 Eilean Siar
 0.90
 2.00
 1.20
 2.17


 Falkirk
 0.23
 0.37
 1.70
 1.00


 Fife
 0.00
 1.37
 2.53
 2.37


 Glasgow City
 1.30
 3.20
 4.22
 4.91


 Highland
 0.27
 0.00
 1.73
 0.00


 Inverclyde
 0.00
 0.00
 0.10
 1.45


 Midlothian
 0.00
 0.80
 0.00
 1.40


 North Ayrshire
 0.00
 0.00
 0.25
 0.00


 North Lanarkshire
 0.00
 1.26
 0.00
 0.00


 Orkney Islands
 0.00
 0.32
 0.60
 0.00


 Perth and Kinross
 0.00
 0.42
 1.18
 0.78


 Renfrewshire
 0.00
 0.65
 0.27
 0.00


 Scottish Borders
 0.00
 0.00
 0.98
 0.96


 South Ayrshire
 0.00
 0.75
 1.85
 1.73


 South Lanarkshire
 0.00
 0.00
 0.30
 0.54


 SPTA
 2.00
 2.90
 0.45
 0.70


 Stirling
 0.00
 0.15
 0.30
 2.54


 West Dunbartonshire
 0.75
 0.30
 0.25
 0.15


 West Lothian
 0.27
 0.00
 0.22
 2.01



  In addition, Public Transport Fund allocations have been given to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority (SPTA) as follows:

  

 SPTA
 2.00
 2.90
 0.45
 0.70



  Since 1 April 2003, Public Transport Fund awards have been given as capital grant under section 70 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, which is paid on receipt of claims from local authorities and SPTA for project expenditure. Changes to allocations as a result of re-profiling of planned expenditure are considered on a case by case basis by Executive officials as part of the regular monitoring of these projects.

Rail Safety

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on any failure of Scotrail under the current rail passenger franchise to comply with safety criteria contained in the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994, broken down by (a) geographical area, (b) length of service of staff member(s) involved, and (c) level of seniority of staff member(s) involved.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Scottish rail passenger franchise, what information it has on recording methods used by Scotrail in relation to the safety criteria contained in the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Scottish rail passenger franchise, what information it has on the methods of staff training used by Scotrail in respect of the safety criteria contained in the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994.

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Scottish rail passenger franchise, what information it has on the methods of staff re-training following accidents used by Scotrail in respect of the safety criteria contained in the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994.

Nicol Stephen: Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994 have since been superseded by the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 2000.

  The Scottish Executive meets the rail industry including ScotRail on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including rail safety. However, information concerning ScotRail and safety criteria contained in the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 2000, is not held centrally.

  Primary responsibility for safety issues on the Great Britain rail network rests with the Health and Safety Executive, although clearly the Executive would take appropriate action in relation to any safety issues made known to it.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Transport has any plans to visit the west Highlands in response to any concerns expressed by motorists in relation to the A82, with particular reference to the upgrade of the road between Tarbert and Inverarnan, and whether the upgrade will be included in the next round of trunk road improvements.

Nicol Stephen: I have no current plans to visit the west Highlands in relation to driving conditions on the A82. A route action plan has been commissioned which will identify measures to improve road safety and reduce journey times between Tarbet and Fort William. Any proposals to emerge from the study would be candidates to be considered alongside emerging and new improvement proposals across the trunk road network when looking at priorities for future expenditure programmes.

Royal Mail

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland and Royal Mail to promote future issues of postage stamps that celebrate Scottish themes.

Allan Wilson: The UK Government has given the responsibility for selecting topics for special stamps to Royal Mail. The decision is regarded as a matter for Royal Mail to make on a commercial basis subject to advice from the Stamp Advisory Committee. Royal Mail has informed the Scottish Executive that they would consider any proposals for special stamps.

Social Inclusion

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2W-5332 by Nicol Stephen on 26 January 2004, what criteria will be used to decide how the £0.5 million per annum to pilot urban community transport/demand responsive transport between 2004 and 2006 will be distributed.

Nicol Stephen: We wish to spend the budget in some of the more socially disadvantaged urban areas between February 2004 and March 2006. City Councils were invited to bid for funds to support pilot projects which would help to regenerate areas by providing improved access to employment, training opportunities, shopping and health services and which fell into 1 of the following 4 categories:

  (1) a new scheme;

  (2) an existing scheme which is able to expand its services to a broader locality or more client groups;

  (3) a new or existing scheme which will work with a commercial operator for the first time; and/or

  (4) a new or existing scheme in a Social Inclusion Partnership area.

Sport

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether private membership golf clubs will be eligible for the mandatory rate relief for community amateur sports clubs announced by the Minister for Finance and Public Services.

Mr Andy Kerr: Amateur sports clubs which are registered as Community Amateur Sports Clubs with the Inland Revenue will - on introduction of the necessary enabling legislation - be eligible for 80% mandatory rate relief. The granting or otherwise of community amateur sports club status is entirely a matter for the Inland Revenue Sports Club Unit.

Students

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1571 by Mr Jim Wallace on 13 August 2003, when it will publish the results of the survey of the income and expenditure of Scottish students..

Mr Jim Wallace: The results of the survey are expected to be published during January 2005.

Teachers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is still its target to have a classroom computer for every teacher and, if so, what percentage of teachers is now so equipped.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has never set a target of a classroom computer for every teacher. Information on the number of teachers with a classroom computer is not collected centrally.

Tourism

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives towards attracting international cruise ships to call at Scottish ports.

Mr Frank McAveety: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland, which is responsible for maximising the economic benefits of tourism to Scotland.

  VisitScotland does recognise the importance of the cruise market. It provided start up funding for CruiseScotland to attract more business from this sector, and is now represented on its board. The future structure of CruiseScotland is being discussed with VisitScotland, which has agreed to assist with research and development.

  There has of course been considerable private sector investment in the cruise market, for example at Ocean Terminal at Leith. The public sector has also been active where appropriate; for example Highland Council markets its cruise ports in the North to the international cruise market.

Water Charges

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual level of price rises for water and sewerage charges to household customers has been in each year since 1996, showing a comparison with the rate of inflation.

Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-5059 on 13 January 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Young People

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5621 by Lewis Macdonald on 28 January 2004, how many 16 and 17-year-olds have registered with Careers Scotland and, of these, how many have not had guarantee of a suitable offer of training met, expressed also as a percentage of 16 and 17-year-olds who have registered, broken down by local authority area.

Lewis Macdonald: This is a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information requested is not held centrally.

Zoos

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to create a centralised database of zoological collections and, if so, whether such a database will be updated annually in order to measure the numbers and species of animals held in these collections, including their conservation status and the level of threat of extinction posed to species.

Allan Wilson: I have no such plans.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether textphone facilities will be made available in all members’ offices in the new Scottish Parliament building.

Mr Duncan McNeil (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): Whilst we are not planning to install textphones in every member’s office at Holyrood as a standard piece of equipment, textphone facilities can be installed in any member’s offices on request.

  To make textphone facilities even more accessible to members, we are also considering purchasing a small number of textphones which we would be able to lend to members on a short-term basis, as required.

  Members are also reminded that the RNID Typetalk operator service enables anyone using a standard telephone to make calls to, and receive calls from, a textphone user. A guidance document explaining how to use this service is published on the Parliament’s intranet or available from the Parliament’s equalities manager.

  The Parliament already has its own central textphone number which enables our publication information service to accept textphone calls. This provision will also continue at Holyrood.

Scottish Parliament External Relations

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what steps the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is taking to enter into formal relationships with the parliaments of EU accession states.

Mr Andrew Welsh (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The SPCB has taken no steps to enter into formal relations with other parliaments. However the Parliament has established productive informal relationships with many legislatures, including the parliaments of the EU accession states. Of the countries acceding to the EU in 2004, links are developing, in particular, with the parliaments of Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. To this end, the Parliament works in complimentarity with a range of bodies, such as, the British Council Scotland, Scottish universities, and the Department for International Development.

Scottish Parliament External Relations

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer what role the Parliament will have in Scotland Week in Estonia in July 2004.

  Register of Members Interest: Shares in a flat and pub in Estonia.

Mr Andrew Welsh (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The Presiding Officer will consider what role may be appropriate for the Parliament in Scotland Week in Estonia when more details of the event become available.

  The Scottish Parliament has already established very productive relations with the Estonian Parliament and MSPs and parliamentary staff have participated in meetings, information exchanges, and visits.

  It is anticipated that engagement across the Nordic/Baltic region will develop in the future. The Parliament works with a range of bodies, both in the UK and in the Nordic/Baltic zone to further these links.

  The Presiding Officer has accepted an invitation to visit the Estonian Parliament later this year.